UNews - AGILITY

AGILITY program and Faculty of Management receive major RBC gift in support of innovation, entrepreneurship

caroline.zentner — Tue, 25 Oct 2016 15:41:03 +0000

Innovation in family and small business in southern Alberta received a major boost today as RBC pledged $750,000 to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s AGILITY program and the Faculty of Management.

The gift specifically supports programs and initiatives within a new family business and small business stream of AGILITY, a program focused on helping students develop skills in innovation and entrepreneurial thinking.

“We are thrilled that RBC has chosen to support our students by investing in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. This donation illustrates that RBC recognizes the importance of these types of businesses to our economy through helping students create the skills necessary to respond to challenges and opportunities, and to help create solutions that will benefit society,” says Dr. Lesley Brown, vice-provost and associate vice-president (academic) at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

Mark Brown, RBC regional vice-president (centre), is flanked on the right by Dr. Lesley Brown and Dr. Andrew Hakin (far right) and on the left by Tyler Heaton, AGILITY program manager, and Sean Annis, a 5th year U of L student (far left) during the gift announcement.

The RBC gift will be targeted to support and enhance opportunities for students to become involved with family and small business. Students, through the programming and experiential learning opportunities offered by AGILITY and by the Faculty of Management, will specifically benefit with work integrated learning opportunities through co-operative education, gaining valuable skills, confidence and knowledge that will better prepare them to enter the business world.

“Family and small businesses are a strong foundation of the economy of our region,” says Dr. Robert Boudreau, dean of the Faculty of Management. “With RBC’s generous support, students at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ will gain opportunities to explore and understand the unique and differentiating value of family and small businesses so that they can contribute to this economic pillar of southern Alberta communities.”

For RBC, furthering the relationship with AGILITY and the Faculty of Management emboldens students and strengthens the fabric of southern Alberta.

“We are proud to partner with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge through this gift,” says Mark Brown, regional vice-president, RBC. “For us, this is about more than just a donation – it’s about creating opportunities for young Canadians to learn, grow and thrive. Education is a cornerstone of enabling youth to reach their fullest potential today and, ultimately, creating social and economic prosperity tomorrow.”

The gift will provide support for the following initiatives:

– The establishment of a minor in Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Social Enterprise, available to students in all academic programs

– The establishment of the RBC Family and Small Business Internships through the Co-operative Education Program in the Faculty of Management

– The creation of the RBC Family and Small Business Summit that will present a keynote speaker and accompanying seminar series related to family and small business

– The creation of the RBC AGILITY Awards in Family and Small Business to support students with an interest in rural, family and small business who are participating in the AGILITY program

Boudreau, says the co-operative education experience that will be gained by students is invaluable.

“Through RBC’s support, we will be able to give our students the real-world experience they desire and the opportunity to learn from industry professionals,” he says. “Students get the chance to work on projects relevant in today’s business world, while the businesses they are working with gain a resource they otherwise would not have access to, creating a real win-win scenario. Once these students graduate and look to build their own businesses, they are then that much further along.”

About Agility

AGILITY is a multidisciplinary program open to all students that fosters an environment of creative discovery, nurtures entrepreneurial thinking and provides the supports needed for students to develop and implement innovative solutions that impact and vitalize society.

Numerous supports are offered to U of L students through AGILITY: An academic experience ignites students’ interest in technology, business and social innovation through coursework, workshops and public lectures. Financial support from various sources, such as the contributions of Dr. Cor Van Raay (LLD ’15) and alumnus Bruce McKillop (BASc ’70), provide scholarships to attract and inspire the next generation of innovators. Tools and infrastructure are being put into place so students will have collaborative, flexible and open spaces to design, create, collaborate and learn.

Heaton named manager of AGILITY Program

trevor.kenney — Tue, 05 Apr 2016 22:22:01 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s AGILITY program is off and running and it now has a new champion with the appointment of Tyler Heaton (BFA ’15) as manager.

Heaton moves into the role after spending close to nine years in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s Teaching Centre, formerly the Curriculum Re-Development Centre. With a background that encompasses technology integration and instructional design, Heaton is enthused about taking his skills to the AGILITY platform and all the possibilities the new program provides.

With a background that encompasses technology integration and instructional design, Tyler Heaton is enthused about taking his skills to the AGILITY platform and all the possibilities the new program provides.

“I’m really excited about the potential of this program,” says Heaton, who was raised in Magrath and completed his new media degree at the U of L while working in the Teaching Centre. “We have the opportunity here to inspire students to have new ideas and through our program, we give them the skills to follow those ideas through. I think that’s pretty powerful.”

AGILITY is a university-wide initiative designed to nurture and support innovation and entrepreneurial thinking. Building on the strong foundation of liberal education, the program provides students access to knowledge about innovation within key sectors of the Canadian economy, and supports them through talks and mentorship by faculty and industry leaders, course work, scholarships and fellowships, and access to the latest technological tools and physical innovation and collaboration spaces.

“Tyler Heaton is an absolutely great fit for this position,” says Dr. Lesley Brown, Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President (Academic). “He was an advocate for the program through the early stages of our development and planning, and he brings a genuine enthusiasm, passion and understanding of liberal education, and about the U of L, that is exactly what we need to continue to build a program that resonates with who we are as an institution. I am incredibly pleased that he has joined the AGILITY team.”

Heaton says his priorities include raising the profile of the program both internally at the U of L and in the broader southern Alberta community; helping to develop programming, curriculum and bridging opportunities between courses; creating maker spaces and innovation zones within which students can work and collaborate ideas; and continuing to secure funding that will eventually make the program self-sustainable.

“This is an entrepreneurship and innovation program, and when we say entrepreneurship, we don’t just mean preparing students to run their own business or to commercialize an idea, we also mean that entrepreneurship is about opportunity,” he says. “You don’t have to have a business idea, you just need to have an imagination. We’ll help you work through your idea, and if it becomes a business, great, but if it doesn’t, that’s OK too because it’s the skills you learn along the way that are also important outcomes for the AGILITY program.”

Find out more about AGILITY at the program website.

AGILITY Innovation Series hosting panel of leaders from agricultural sector for two-day event

trevor.kenney — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 21:09:17 +0000

The AGILITY program, an experiential program at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge that fosters innovation and nurtures entrepreneurial thinking, will be hosting business leaders from the Canadian agricultural sector for a two-day event March 2 and 3, 2016, at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Lethbridge and Calgary campuses.

Innovation in Agriculture, Where’s the Smart Money Going, is the fourth event in the 2015-16 AGILITY Innovation Series and features a panel of agriculture and finance leaders who will discuss the role that innovation, rapid changes in technology and finance are playing in exposing and developing new agribusiness opportunities that place Canada at the forefront of meeting changing global food demands.

“Global food demand will double in the next 35 years and Canada is one of only six countries in the world with the capacity to increase food and nutrition experts,” says Dr. Lesley Brown, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President (Academic). “Agribusiness and the opportunities it presents are a key theme of the AGILITY program and by bringing together leading agribusiness experts as part of our Innovation Series, we are giving our students the chance to engage with people who have pushed innovation in the province and across the country.”

Tom Burke, Senior Investment Advisor for Canaccord Genuity, is the moderator for both the Lethbridge and Calgary events. He says that the broader financial market, while always being aware of agriculture, has taken full notice of the potential and scope of agribusiness over the last decade.

“The growth trends that we are seeing are over and above anything we’ve seen before and it just continues to heat up,” he says from the Canaccord offices in Montreal. “Obviously, if people are seriously considering career options in this field and want to get a sense of what is going on out there, this will be an eye-opening experience for them.”

Among the panelists are Wade Barnes, president and CEO of Farmer’s Edge; Brad Farquhar, director, executive vice-president and CFO at Input Capital; Graeme Lempriere, CEO at Clean Seed Capital Group; and Remi Schmaltz, CEO of Decisive Farming.

Burke marvels at how fast the world of agribusiness is changing.

“Who would have thought we would be talking about setting up financial structures where you can actually finance a farmer’s production and get paid back in canola. This is all new, cutting-edge stuff,” he says.

The Lethbridge session takes place Wednesday, March 2, 2016, at the U of L’s Students’ Union Ballrooms, beginning with a networking event at 4:30 p.m. and followed by the panel discussion at 5 p.m.

On Thursday, March 3, the U of L’s Calgary campus at Bow Valley College (Room N231) will host a networking event beginning at 4 p.m., followed by the panel discussion at 4:30 p.m.

Both events are free to students and interested members of the business community. For more information, or to register, visit the AGILITY website.

AGILITY Innovation Series to feature business leaders, experts

trevor.kenney — Fri, 02 Oct 2015 22:22:05 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s new experiential learning program, AGILITY, is off and running this fall and with it comes a new speaker series that will give students the opportunity to learn from renowned business leaders and industry experts.

“Our goal is to provide opportunities for our students to engage with people whose entrepreneurial ambition has pushed innovation in the province and across the country,” says Dr. Lesley Brown, Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President (Academic), who is leading the establishment of the AGILITY program.

The AGILITY Innovation Series features a highly engaging set of lectures and workshops that showcase industry experts with a track record of innovation and entrepreneurship across a range of sectors, including agribusiness and agri-tech, energy, small and family-owned businesses and public service.

“Through this series, we will be bringing in some of the leading innovators and entrepreneurs in the province who have started and grown very successful businesses,” says Anil Pereira (BMgt ’87), U of L alumnus and advisor to the AGILITY program. “Their experiences provide invaluable learning opportunities for our students.”

Skyridge Capital Corporation CEO Steve Cloutier will kick off the series with presentations at both the U of L’s Calgary and Lethbridge campuses respectively, October 27 and 28, 2015.

Cloutier is an entrepreneur with 30 years of experience in the law, investment and upstream oil and gas industries. After relocating to Calgary, Cloutier began his career in oil and gas, ultimately participating in the start-up of seven oil and gas companies, leading teams of up to 200 employees. He has more than $2 billion of direct experience in mergers, acquisitions and divestitures.

On Tuesday, Oct. 27, Cloutier will be at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s Calgary location on the campus of Bow Valley College presenting a talk entitled From Liberal Arts BA to Energy Startup CEO: Lessons for Tomorrow’s Entrepreneur. The presentation runs from 5 to 7 p.m.

On Wednesday, Oct. 28, Cloutier will make his presentation to students on the Lethbridge campus, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Markin Hall Atrium.

The AGILITY Innovation Series is free and open to everyone but seating is limited and attendees must register in advance. For more information on the series and to register for Steve Cloutier’s events in both Calgary and Lethbridge, visit the AGILITY website (agility-ulethbridge.ca).

“Steve Cloutier is an amazingly skilled businessperson and entrepreneur who will walk students through his own case studies, increasing their understanding of the skills and steps needed to launch a successful startup enterprise,” says Pereira. “This is a really great opportunity for students to learn how to shape their skillset, expand their vision and engage in a dialogue with a highly successful and experienced entrepreneur.”

Pereira will also play a key part in the opening of the AGILITY Innovation Series, offering workshops in Lethbridge in advance of Cloutier’s presentations. Pereira will demonstrate 3D virtual reality experiences during a workshop entitled The Virtual Reality Works of Félix & Paul Studios at 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 27 and 10:30 a.m. on October 28.

“We are really excited to be highlighting innovations in agriculture and agribusiness as a theme for many of the upcoming talks and workshops in the 2015-16 AGILITY Innovation Series,” says Brown, who credits a gift from Mr. Cor Van Raay of Cor Van Raay Farms for supporting many of these initiatives.

In November, Chris Perry, president of CKP Farms Ltd. and Grow the Energy Circle Ltd., will present along with Harold Perry, president of Perry Quest Ltd. Subsequent sessions will be held in January, February and March 2016.

The format of each session will include a half-hour mix and mingle with free refreshments, followed by a 45-minute talk and conclude with a 30-minute open question-and-answer period.

“We want to engage our attendees as much as possible, to really bring them into the presentations and allow them to get the most out of the sessions,” says Pereira.

AGILITY Innovation Series (agility-ulethbridge.ca)

- Steve Cloutier, CEO, Skyridge Capital Corporation
From Liberal Arts BA to Energy Start-up CEO – Lessons for Tomorrow’s Entrepreneur
October 27, 2015, 5 p.m. (Calgary) and October 28, 2015, 11 a.m. (Lethbridge)

- Anil Pereira, Startup Advisor
Virtual Reality Works of Félix & Paul Studios
October 27, 2015, 2:30 p.m. and October 28, 2015, 10:30 a.m. (Lethbridge)

- Chris Perry, President of CKP Farms Ltd. and Grow the Energy Circle Ltd., and Harold Perry, President of Perry Quest Ltd.
Integrating Environmental Stewardship and Innovative Technology into Agriculture
November 2015

- Paul Oss, Public Affairs Officer, Ministry of Innovation and Advanced Education, Province of Alberta
Keeping Pace with Technological Change
January 2016

- Tom Burke, Senior Investment Advisor, Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management
Canadian Agriculture in the 21st Century: Technology, Finance, and Sustainability (roundtable discussion with agribusiness and agri-tech leaders)
February 2016

- Danny Martin, Director Business Development, Engenium Chemicals
March 2016

- Chris Perry, President of CKP Farms Ltd. and Grow the Energy Circle Ltd., and Harold Perry, President of Perry Quest Ltd.
How CKP Farms Ltd Integrates Environmental Stewardship and Innovative Technology into Agriculture
March 2016

UNews - AGILITY

AGILITY program and Faculty of Management receive major RBC gift in support of innovation, entrepreneurship

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Heaton named manager of AGILITY Program

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AGILITY Innovation Series hosting panel of leaders from agricultural sector for two-day event

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